VERMEULEN AND MUGGERIDGE AIMING FOR ‘HOME’ SUCCESS The 2005 World Superbike championship resumes this weekend at Assen in Holland, one of the most popular events on the SBK calendar and the home race for the Winston Ten Kate Honda team that is based just to the south of the historic racing venue. Winston riders, Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge, are looking forward to putting in some strong performances over the weekend in front of some 900 team sponsors and guests. The Australian duo, currently lying in second and eleventh places in the series respectively, will be watched along with the rest of team in the Winston Ten Kate Honda garage from a specially-constructed viewing platform. Ronald ten Kate – team manager: “The home round for the team will also be like a home round for Chris and Karl since they have been with us for such a long time now. Chris won at Assen last year after an epic battle with James Toseland so, with our track knowledge, we’ll be hoping at least for similar results this weekend. The track has been changed but the majority of the corners are the same so I don’t think it will take the riders very long to get used to the new layout. They’ve seen the problems that the changes have created from the MotoGP race there earlier in the year so they’ll know how to approach it.” Chris Vermeulen – championship position 2nd, 234 points: “I like Assen and I’ve had some success there in the past with a win and a fourth in Superbike last year and pole position in Supersport in 2002 and 2003. The track’s good but I’m a little worried about the changes they’ve made – I think it takes away some of the character of the place which has hosted world championship racing for such a long time. It should still be fast and flowing though, which suits my style and the bike’s so I’m looking forward to going back there. We need to get the bike working a little better to beat Troy (Corser) but we all know that we have the potential. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be going for eight wins from the remaining eight races but it’s going to be tough to stop Troy with the points lead that he has. Assen is going to be a really important event for the team, who have a lot of guests coming over the weekend, so I’ll be trying to put on a good show for everyone with some strong performances.” Karl Muggeridge – championship position 11th, 85 points: “Although I haven’t raced the Superbike there, I think Assen will suit the bike. It seems that the faster and more flowing the circuit, the better we can get the bike working. It’s difficult to compare with Chris’s results from last year but at least we should have a good base setting to start from – something we were lacking a little at the beginning of the season. I like all the circuits but I think I’m at last learning what we need to get the bike working properly. I was up there at Brands Hatch, making the kind of progress we’ve been trying to achieve all season. Starting from second on the grid was good but we’re still learning about getting the bike to work over race distance. We certainly learned some in race one at Brands and softened it up a bit for race two but then I messed up and crashed on the second lap. My hand is a lot better after a three week rest though, and I’m in good shape, so looking forward to Assen and to putting in a couple of good results for the team.” Championship points after eight of 12 rounds: 1 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 344, 2 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 234, 3 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 214, 4 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 172, 5 Noryuki Haga JPN (Yamaha) 167, 6 James Toseland GBR (Ducati) 161, 7 Chris Walker GBR (Kawasaki) 130, 8 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) 111, 9 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 95, 10 Norick Abe JPN (Yamaha) 88, 11 Karl Muggeridge AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 85. Assen World Superbike event schedule: Friday 2 September – 10.30-11.30 free practice, 14.15-15.15 qualifying; Saturday 3 September – 11.00-12.00 qualifying, 14.45-15.45 free practice, 16.00 Superpole; Sunday 4 September – 09.20-09.40 warm-up, 12.00 race one (16 laps – 95.952km), 15.30 race two (16 laps – 95.952km). World Supersport Championship – event preview Round nine – Assen, Holland (2-4 September 2005) CHARPENTIER GUNS FOR ASSEN GLORY Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Sébastien Charpentier heads to Assen in Holland for round nine of the 2005 World Supersport championship this weekend knowing that the title is within his grasp. The French rider can clinch his first world championship at his team’s home round and become the first rider in World Supersport championship history to win with three rounds of the series to spare. Charpentier’s Winston team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara, still retains second place in the championship, however, and knows he must beat Charpentier to keep his title hopes alive. Both riders will be aiming for good results in front of an anticipated 900 team guests for the home round of the Winston Ten Kate Honda team. Ronald ten Kate – team manager: “Sébastien has the chance to grab the title with three rounds to spare, which, as well as being our fourth consecutive championship, would be magnificent for the team. But we’re not going to let that possibility affect the way we approach this weekend. We will prepare in exactly the same way as we have prepared for the eight rounds so far this season – working to improve the bike in whatever areas we can find over the weekend and aiming for a race win on Sunday. We’ll see how it goes for the race but we have already made the decision that no team orders will apply because Kats is still Sébastien’s biggest rival for the title. Although we’re not focusing too much on the possibility, success on Sunday would be really special for the team and a nice bonus for all the guests we have coming.” Sébastien Charpentier – championship position 1st, 190 points: “I like the circuit at Assen but some of the GP riders were not so positive about the changes for this season so we’ll have to see what the new layout is like. For sure, the championship is possible for me this weekend and I’m in very good physical condition. We know how strong the bike is and how well the team has been working all through the season, so I am hoping for a win or at least a podium finish. My approach to the weekend will be exactly the same as before and, although I cannot help thinking about the championship, when I am inside the box and inside my helmet, there is only one thing I am concentrating on: that is riding as well as I can and trying to get the best from a very good bike.” Katsuaki Fujiwara – championship position 2nd, 116 points: “This is my first time at Assen on the Honda but I think it will suit the bike. Although I know there have been some changes for this year, we will have to see what effect they have on the track’s character. I like the circuit and took pole position for my first Supersport race there in 2001 and finished in third behind Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge a year or so later. My back is much better after my crash in Japan last month; although it was a little sore after the race at Brands Hatch, I don’t expect any problems this weekend. I will have to be in good shape because I know I have to beat Sébastien in Assen to stop him winning the championship; as ever, I will be riding to the best of my ability, especially in front of all the guests that will be there for the team’s home race.” World Supersport Championship points after eight of 12 rounds: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 190, 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 116, 3 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 109, 4 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 85, 5 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 82, 6 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 68, 7 Broc Parkes AUS (Yamaha) 60, 8 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 56, 9 Javier Fores ESP (Suzuki) 52, 10 Tauto Lauslehto FIN (Honda) 42. Assen World Supersport event schedule: Friday 2 September – 09.35-10.20 free practice, 13.15-14.00 qualifying; Saturday 3 September – 10.00-10.45 free practice, 13.45-14.30 qualifying; Sunday 4 September – 09.50-10.10 warm-up, 13.20 race (16 laps, 95.952km).